The Great Patty Melt Challenge.
This sandwich was quite different from the one I had on Saturday. The onions were nearly whole, and just barely softened, there were two slices of cheese to make it extra melty, and it was served on a dark rye, which was a little soggy. I really did not like how I had to bite through the onions. Some lady was watching me eat them rather messily and I could tell it was not a pretty sight. I had my choice of sides, but they didn’t have fries so I had hash browns. Those were ok, but probably not the best choice.

I had an incredible patty melt this weekend. This led to another patty melt craving today, so I figured that I’d make a game out of it. I am now determined to find the best patty melt in the SF Bay area, and I’m calling it “The Great Patty Melt Challenge”.

Ok, for those of you who do not know what a patty melt is, it is an ooey gooey concoction that’s a cross between a sandwich and a hamburger. It’s a cooked hamburger patty, with American cheese and grilled onions on rye bread, grilled so that the cheese melts. It’s pretty simple, but every place I go seems to make it just a little bit different. What kind of rye bread, how much cheese, the thickness of the patty and the quality of the onions all contribute to how good of experience you can have while eating it. And, by analyzing it in these terms, as well as what the restaurants serve it with by default, I will unlock the mysteries on how to make an incredible patty melt.

Scoring will be on 5 point scale for each of the individual components: patty, cheese, onions, bread, plus the side dish and the experience as a whole. The score will be averaged out, for an overall score, and will be rounded to two decimal places. In the event of a tie, whichever sandwich that has the highest experience as a whole will win.

So, follow me as I seek to find the best patty melt around. It won’t be every post, but hopefully in a few months I’ll know where to go for that crunchy, melty, meaty goodness. And, if you follow me, you will too!